Various types of monitoring and alarm systems are known. In many of these systems, modules such as fire, smoke or gas detectors are coupled via a wired medium, cables, for example, to a control unit or fire alarm panel. Such systems always reflect installation, operational and maintenance costs associated with the wired medium.
Examples of monitoring and fire detection systems are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,222 to Tice entitled “Multiple Sensor Apparatus and Method” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,263 to Tice et al. entitled “Circuitry for Electrical Device in Multi-Device Communications System”, which are assigned to the assignee hereof. Both U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,222 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,263 are hereby incorporated by reference.
There is an ongoing need to reduce the costs of installing and maintaining such systems. There is also an ongoing need to be able to conveniently and cost effectively modify the configuration of such systems, due to remodeling for example, or expansion of a monitored region.
It would also be desirable to be able to upgrade or expand existing wired systems while at the same time introducing a level of communications redundancy to take into account the characteristics of building spaces.